Infrared Cameras Assist Liberty Mutual Commercial Field Adjusters

Boston-based Liberty Mutual Insurance has rolled out portable infrared cameras to its property field adjusters working commercial insurance claims.

Water damage is one of the leading causes of commercial property claims, according to the insurer, with an average claim cost of approximately $16,000 and one with severe losses exceeding $100,000.

“Images from our infrared cameras more accurately show the scope of water damage,” notes Mike Martin, executive vice president, Liberty Mutual’s National Insurance Property operation. “This provides two important benefits to our commercial property policyholders. First, it better controls claim costs by preventing the need to tear away unaffected materials to define the extent of damage, and by enabling contractors to fix only areas impacted by the water. Second, the cameras help minimize the time a facility is shut for repairs.”

According to Glenn Shapiro, chief claims officer, Commercial Insurance, moisture emits a different heat pattern than a dry area. The cameras offer the ability to find locate where moisture is and isn’t.

“One of the big problems in property adjusting is that you have to tear out walls to find the damage,” Shapiro says. “We now have to tear out fewer walls because we know exactly where it is.”

Liberty Mutual introduced portable infrared cameras to its field commercial property adjusters after a successful pilot by its dedicated Claims Innovation Team showed the benefits of this technology.

During that test, a claim was filed for water damage to a more than 14,000 square foot university gymnasium caused by a broken sprinkler head. Using the camera helped define the scope of the water damage. This reduced the estimated cost of repair by approximately two-thirds and resulted in faster repair, allowing the policyholder to more quickly re-open the facility.